Published: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 6:36 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 6:36 p.m.

When he first floated the idea of restricting Florida police use of surveillance drones, state Sen. Joe Negron says he wondered if scoffers had a point.

Negron, R-Stuart, is a conservative with a focus on protecting civil liberties, but critics suggested such a bill was a solution for a problem that didn't exist.

Sure, the military uses unmanned aircraft to spy on and kill suspected terrorists in Afghanistan. But Florida cops? Wasn't it paranoid fantasy that police agencies here might use unmanned aircraft to spy on American citizens?

Negron said Monday that just several months later, events have shown it is a solid bet that many ordinary Florida police agencies will indeed be adding drone aircraft to their wish lists. Some already have.

Miami-Dade police had already been involved in experimental use of drones, with the stated aim of keeping an eye on rural and agricultural areas. And this weekend, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office has two drones it hopes will be on duty by this summer.

Bloomberg News has estimated that the drone industry is worth almost $6 billion, and could double within a decade with expected expansion into civilian uses.

Unmanned-aircraft come in all shapes and sizes. And like red light cameras, drones could be ideal for technology and security companies to pitch to cities and counties. And every year there will be new and improved models.

Will they be used mainly for busting speeders? Finding backyard marijuana plants? Aiding SWAT teams?

I have no idea, and one sentence in the Sentinel story seems vaguely chilling:

“Sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson would not reveal specific uses for the drones,” the story said.

Maybe Orange County's sheriff wants to spend tax dollars on a new gimmick but doesn't want to admit he does not really have a plausible justification for it. Then again, maybe the agency just wants to avoid creeping people out by talking about new ways to spy on them.

That's why I like Negron's bill, which would bar police use of drones except in emergency situations — an armed man holed up with a hostage, for instance — or when police have a search warrant.

That's only in Florida, of course.

“I have no problem with using them to kill terrorists in Afghanistan,” Negron said.

Here at home, he is becoming more impressed with the vision of George Orwell. Though that future-fiction writer died in 1950, he had already imagined a world of extreme government monitoring and electronic surveillance of all citizens.

“There's always a delicate balance between freedom and security,” Negron says, adding that his bill has a chance because something about remote-controlled aerial spying rightly bothers people. “People instinctively think that this is excessive.”

I agree. There have been cops in the air for a long time. Many police departments have helicopters. Though mainly status symbols, they are useful once in a while for keeping tabs on a car chase or the like. The rest of the time, some officer logs air hours and burns fuel doing bogus air patrols.

But helicopters have running lights and make noise. If one hovers over your backyard pool because the pilot wants to check out a sunbather's all-over tan, that aircraft is easily noticed.

Not so with smaller drones powered by nearly silent, low-power motors. And what's most chilling about drone technology isn't just what's on the market already, but what will be soon.

Since that dragonfly hovering outside your window might one day soon be a government agent's remote-controlled eyes, I agree with Negron that he least needs to have a search warrant.

<p>When he first floated the idea of restricting Florida police use of surveillance drones, state Sen. Joe Negron says he wondered if scoffers had a point.</p><p>Negron, R-Stuart, is a conservative with a focus on protecting civil liberties, but critics suggested such a bill was a solution for a problem that didn't exist.</p><p>Sure, the military uses unmanned aircraft to spy on and kill suspected terrorists in Afghanistan. But Florida cops? Wasn't it paranoid fantasy that police agencies here might use unmanned aircraft to spy on American citizens?</p><p>Negron said Monday that just several months later, events have shown it is a solid bet that many ordinary Florida police agencies will indeed be adding drone aircraft to their wish lists. Some already have.</p><p>Miami-Dade police had already been involved in experimental use of drones, with the stated aim of keeping an eye on rural and agricultural areas. And this weekend, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office has two drones it hopes will be on duty by this summer.</p><p>Bloomberg News has estimated that the drone industry is worth almost $6 billion, and could double within a decade with expected expansion into civilian uses.</p><p>Unmanned-aircraft come in all shapes and sizes. And like red light cameras, drones could be ideal for technology and security companies to pitch to cities and counties. And every year there will be new and improved models.</p><p>Will they be used mainly for busting speeders? Finding backyard marijuana plants? Aiding SWAT teams?</p><p>I have no idea, and one sentence in the Sentinel story seems vaguely chilling: </p><p>“Sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson would not reveal specific uses for the drones,” the story said.</p><p>Maybe Orange County's sheriff wants to spend tax dollars on a new gimmick but doesn't want to admit he does not really have a plausible justification for it. Then again, maybe the agency just wants to avoid creeping people out by talking about new ways to spy on them.</p><p>That's why I like Negron's bill, which would bar police use of drones except in emergency situations — an armed man holed up with a hostage, for instance — or when police have a search warrant.</p><p>That's only in Florida, of course.</p><p>“I have no problem with using them to kill terrorists in Afghanistan,” Negron said.</p><p>Here at home, he is becoming more impressed with the vision of George Orwell. Though that future-fiction writer died in 1950, he had already imagined a world of extreme government monitoring and electronic surveillance of all citizens.</p><p>“There's always a delicate balance between freedom and security,” Negron says, adding that his bill has a chance because something about remote-controlled aerial spying rightly bothers people. “People instinctively think that this is excessive.”</p><p>I agree. There have been cops in the air for a long time. Many police departments have helicopters. Though mainly status symbols, they are useful once in a while for keeping tabs on a car chase or the like. The rest of the time, some officer logs air hours and burns fuel doing bogus air patrols.</p><p>But helicopters have running lights and make noise. If one hovers over your backyard pool because the pilot wants to check out a sunbather's all-over tan, that aircraft is easily noticed.</p><p>Not so with smaller drones powered by nearly silent, low-power motors. And what's most chilling about drone technology isn't just what's on the market already, but what will be soon. </p><p>Since that dragonfly hovering outside your window might one day soon be a government agent's remote-controlled eyes, I agree with Negron that he least needs to have a search warrant.</p><p><i>Tom Lyons: (941) 361-4964 or tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com.</i></p>